President Duterte: “My government also sought to broaden democratic participation through federalism, but …”
PRESIDENT DUTERTE — The Philippine President has accepted the defeat of his push to “federalize” the country on Friday, December 10, before an international audience.
In his intervention during the virtual Summit for Democracy hosted by the United States (US), the President shared how he pursued federalism for the country only to become unsuccessful.
According to the President, the Philippine government worked to give the Filipino people the basic means to lead a life of dignity, and this entailed safeguarding peace and security, creating jobs, and instituting social safety nets.
“My government also sought to broaden democratic participation through federalism, but my Constitutional project did not get Congress’s support,” Duterte candidly admitted. “So be it. I respect the separation of powers vital to democracy.”
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Friday was the 2nd and final day of the democracy summit. The United States, which was composed of 50 separate states, has a federal government that’s akin to what the current administration had been wanting to copy.
Federalism served as the then-Davao City mayor’s catchword and platform pitch in the lead up to the 2016 elections, which he handily won.
Manila Bulletin reported that the push for federalism — achievable via Cha-Cha (Charter Change) — was aggressively pursued during Davao del Norte Representative Pantaleon Alvarez’s tenure as Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 17th Congress. Alvarez, however, was unseated via a coup.
Charter Change would never get the same prioritization in the 18th Congress and the pandemic took everybody by surprise last year.
“We have significant headways especially in economic expansion, but COVID-19 struck and reverse many of our hard-earned gains,” Duterte said in his intervention.
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